Preventing Harm

Together with police and partners I will identify and support vulnerable people in Surrey to reduce harm, and work with those who re-offend to break the cycle of crime.

Identifying vulnerable people and reducing harm

Where a person is vulnerable as a result of their situation or circumstances and unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation, I will aim to ensure resources are there to support them. Critical to preventing harm is the ability of professionals to identify vulnerability at the earliest opportunity. I am working with Surrey Police so that the right support is in place to break this cycle, to both improve the chances of a better life for the individual but also to make better use of police resources.

Supporting those with mental health needs

Police regularly spend time dealing with people who are experiencing mental health crisis. This is not always the best use of police resource and does not provide the individual with the specialist help they need. I will work with partners in health and local authorities to ensure that provision is consistent, timely and appropriate. I will do what I can to support innovative solutions to improve partnership working, such as the initiative by Surrey Police whereby trained medical professionals work in the police contact centre.

Help for those with multiple needs

Over the next two years I plan to fund a number of projects to support those with multiple needs. Surrey has recently become a “Making Every Adult Matter” (MEAM) area. This national initiative will see statutory agencies and the voluntary sector working together to transform the lives of people in Surrey experiencing a combination of homelessness, substance misuse, contact with the criminal justice system and mental ill health.

Missing people

In Surrey there are almost 2,000 cases of vulnerable people, including children, going missing every year, often time and time again. Most are younger people who may go missing upwards of 20 times. Surrey Police will work closely with Surrey County Council, children homes, private providers and hospitals to find missing people and put in place appropriate support. I will hold Surrey Police and partners to account for the appropriate sharing of information and reducing repeat missing people cases.

“A new “One Stop Shop” project providing a range of support services to help those on probation from returning to a life of crime has opened in Guildford. The joint initiative is being helped by funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner who have joined forces with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company (KSS CRC) and a number of local partner agencies. The scheme is open to people currently subject to community or suspended sentence orders and licenses who can access free advice, information and support from a range of local services all under one roof.”

Reducing reoffending

Surrey Police aims to break the cycle of crime by working with criminal justice partners and charities to target suitable offenders and help to stop them continuing to commit crime. My office has developed a strategy to reduce reoffending and over the next two years will build on recently funded projects to provide accommodation for those leaving prison, to work with prisons and probation on “through the gate” services and to support people to stay away from committing crime. A new project (known as ‘Surrey Checkpoint’) will aim to divert offenders away from crime and deal with the causes of an individual’s offending to reduce the likelihood of them committing crime in the future.

There are strong links between women’s experience of domestic or sexual abuse and coercive relationships, and their criminal offending. The response of criminal justice agencies to women offenders affected by these issues is key to breaking the cycle of victimisation and offending and an area I will be working on with partners to address.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey David Munro has welcomed government proposals announced yesterday to give police forces further powers in dealing with unauthorised encampments. The Home O...

VIDEO 🎥: PCC David Munro's council tax precept was approved unanimously by the Police and Crime Panel earlier this week - catch the Commissioners thoughts on how the increased funding will provide extra frontline policing here. 👇 ... See MoreSee Less

"This will provide a real opportunity to put more officers back into our communities" - PCC David Munro's proposal to increase the council tax precept was today approved by the Surrey Police & Crime Panel.

The policing element of a Band D Council Tax bill will increase by £2 a month – the equivalent of around 10% across all bands. In return, the PCC has pledged to increase the number of officers and PCSOs in the county by 100 by April 2020.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our survey - we had nearly 6,000 responses with 75% in favour of the PCC's proposal.